U.S. patent number 10,897,716 [Application Number 16/565,087] was granted by the patent office on 2021-01-19 for integrated access and backhaul from high altitude platforms.
This patent grant is currently assigned to LOON LLC. The grantee listed for this patent is LOON LLC. Invention is credited to Sharath Ananth, Brian Barritt.
United States Patent |
10,897,716 |
Ananth , et al. |
January 19, 2021 |
Integrated access and backhaul from high altitude platforms
Abstract
A method is for establishing one or more links for an integrated
access and backhaul for millimeter wave network. The network
includes a high-altitude platform (HAP) as a first node and a
terrestrial node as a second node. The method includes obtaining
location information of the HAP in the network, determining that
the HAP can be used to provide an additional access link or an
additional backhaul link in the network in connection with the
terrestrial node, controlling one or more transceivers of the
terrestrial node to point towards the HAP according to the location
information, and establishing the additional access link or the
additional backhaul link between the HAP and the terrestrial
node.
Inventors: |
Ananth; Sharath (Cupertino,
CA), Barritt; Brian (San Jose, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LOON LLC |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
LOON LLC (Mountain View,
CA)
|
Appl.
No.: |
16/565,087 |
Filed: |
September 9, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W
16/26 (20130101); H04B 7/18563 (20130101); H04W
64/003 (20130101); H04B 7/18513 (20130101); H04B
7/185 (20130101); H04B 7/18504 (20130101); H04B
7/1851 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04W
4/00 (20180101); H04W 16/26 (20090101); H04B
7/185 (20060101); H04W 64/00 (20090101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Bertenyi, et al., NG Radio Access Network, Journal of ICT, vol. 6_1
& 2, 59-76. River Publishers dated 2018. cited by applicant
.
Polese, et al., Integrated Access and Backhaul in 5G mmWave
Networks: Potentials and Challenges, arXiv:1906.01099v1 [cs.NI]
Jun. 3, 2019. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Shaheed; Khalid W
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Botos Churchill IP Law LLP
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A method of establishing one or more links for an integrated
access and backhaul for a network, the network including a
high-altitude platform (HAP) node and a terrestrial node, the
method comprising: determining, by one or more processors of the
HAP node, that the HAP node can be used to provide at least one of
an additional access link or an additional backhaul link in the
network in connection with the terrestrial node, wherein the one or
more processors of the HAP node are configured to operate according
to a given protocol architecture including a control plane layer
and a user plane layer; in response to the determining,
controlling, by the one or more processors of the HAP node, one or
more transceivers of the terrestrial node to transmit signals
toward the HAP node according to physical location information of
the HAP node, the signals including instructions for implementing
at least one protocol associated with at least one of the control
plane layer or the user plane layer; receiving, by the one or more
processors of the HAP node, the signals; and in response to the
receiving, establishing, by the one or more processors of the HAP
node, the at least one of the additional access link or the
additional backhaul link between the HAP node and the terrestrial
node by implementing the at least one protocol.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, by the
one or more processors of the HAP node, the physical location
information of the HAP to the terrestrial node, wherein the
physical location information of the HAP node includes coordinates
of a location of the HAP node.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the HAP node is in signal range
of the terrestrial node.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the HAP node is also in range of
a geographic location that has an amount of coverage by the network
that is lower than a threshold amount of coverage.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the HAP node is also
in signal range of another terrestrial node in the network.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more transceivers of
the terrestrial node point transmit signals above a horizon to a
location of the HAP node.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional access link is
established by implementing a 5G New Radio (NR) protocol associated
with the user plane layer at the HAP node and the terrestrial
node.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional backhaul link is
established by implementing a 5G New Radio (NR) protocol associated
with the control plane layer at the HAP node and the terrestrial
node.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes using
software-defined networking to determine an overall network
configuration for the network that includes the at least one of the
additional access link or the additional backhaul link.
10. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium including
instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a
high-altitude platform (HAP) node, cause the one or more processors
to perform a method, the method comprising: determining that the
HAP node can be used to provide at least one of an additional
access link or an additional backhaul link in a network in
connection with a terrestrial node of the network, wherein the one
or more processors of the HAP node are configured to operate
according to a given protocol architecture including a control
plane layer and a user plane layer; in response to the determining,
causing one or more transceivers of the terrestrial node to
transmit signals toward the HAP node according to physical location
information of the HAP node, the signals including instructions for
implementing at least one protocol associated with at least one of
the control plane layer or the user plane layer; receiving the
signals; and in response to the receiving, causing the at least one
of the additional access link or the additional backhaul link to be
established between the HAP node and the terrestrial node by
implementing the at least one protocol.
11. The medium of claim 10, further comprising: transmitting the
physical location information of the HAP node to the terrestrial
node, wherein the physical location information of the HAP node
includes coordinates of a location of the HAP node.
12. The medium of claim 10, wherein the HAP node is in signal range
of the terrestrial node.
13. The medium of claim 12, wherein he HAP node is also in range of
a geographic location that has an amount of coverage by the network
that is lower than a threshold amount of coverage.
14. The medium of claim 12, wherein the HAP node is also in signal
range of another terrestrial node in the network.
15. The medium of claim 10, wherein the determining includes using
software-defined networking to determine an overall network
configuration for the network that includes the additional access
link or the additional backhaul link.
16. A high-altitude platform (HAP) node comprising: one or more
transceivers; and one or more processors of the HAP node, wherein
the one or more processors are configured to: make a determination
that the HAP node can be used to provide at least one of an
additional access link or an additional backhaul link in a network
including the HAP node and a terrestrial node, wherein the one or
more processors of the HAP node are configured to operate according
to a given protocol architecture including a control plane layer
and a user plane layer; in response to the determination, control
one or more transceivers of the terrestrial node to transmit
signals toward the HAP node according to physical location
information of the HAP node, the signals including instructions for
implementing at least one protocol associated with at least one of
the control plane layer or the user plane layer; receive the
signals; and in response to received signals, establish the at
least one of the additional access link or the additional backhaul
link between the HAP node and the terrestrial node by implementing
the at least one protocol.
17. The HAP node of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors
are further configured to: in response to the determination,
control one or more transceivers of the HAP node to transmit
signals toward the terrestrial node.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein, in response to the determining,
the one or more processors further control one or more transceivers
of the HAP node to transmit signals toward the terrestrial
node.
19. The medium of claim 12, wherein, in response to the
determining, the one or more processors further control one or more
transceivers of the HAP node to transmit signals toward the
terrestrial node.
20. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the at least
one of the additional access link or the additional backhaul link
between the HAP node and the terrestrial node includes establishing
the additional access link or the additional backhaul link as part
of an integrated access and backhaul link.
21. The HAP node of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors of
the HAP node are further configured to transmit the physical
location information of the HAP node to the terrestrial node,
wherein the physical location information of the HAP node includes
coordinates of a location of the HAP node.
22. The HAP node of claim 16, wherein the one or more transceivers
transmit signals above a horizon to a location of the HAP node.
23. The HAP node of claim 16, wherein the additional access link is
established by implementing a 5G New Radio (NR) protocol associated
with the user plane layer at the HAP node and the terrestrial
node.
24. The HAP node of claim 16, wherein the additional backhaul link
is established by implementing a 5G New Radio (NR) protocol
associated with the control plane layer at the HAP and the
terrestrial node.
Description
BACKGROUND
Information can be transmitted over directional point-to-point
networks or point-to-multipoint networks, such as aerospace and
other mobile networks. In such networks, links can be formed
between pairs of nodes by aiming transceivers of each node pair
towards each other. Links can also be formed by steering the
transceivers of a network node either toward a discrete user
terminal or node or toward some discrete point to cover a general
geographic area. In some implementations, nodes may include
non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) satellites or other
high-altitude platforms (HAPs) that are in motion relative to the
Earth.
BRIEF SUMMARY
The technology described herein provides for establishing an access
or backhaul link using high-altitude platforms as network nodes
between user equipment or terrestrial nodes when more density of
nodes is required. The access and backhaul links established may be
used for an integrated access and backhaul for millimeter wave
network or other short-range communications networks.
Aspects of the disclosure provide for a method of establishing one
or more links for an integrated access and backhaul for a network.
The network includes a high-altitude platform (HAP) as a first node
and a terrestrial node as a second node. The method includes
obtaining physical location information of the HAP in the network;
determining that the HAP can be used to provide an additional
access link or an additional backhaul link in the network in
connection with the terrestrial node; in response to the
determining that the HAP can be used to provide the additional
access link or the additional backhaul link, controlling, by one or
more processors, one or more transceivers of the terrestrial node
to point towards the HAP according to the physical location
information; and establishing, by the one or more processors, the
additional access link or the additional backhaul link between the
HAP and the terrestrial node.
In one example, the physical location information of the HAP
includes coordinates of a location of the HAP. In another example,
determining that the HAP can be used to provide the additional
access link or the additional backhaul link includes determining
that the HAP is in signal range of the terrestrial node. Optionally
in this example, determining that the HAP can be used to provide
the additional access link further includes determining that the
HAP is also in range of a geographic location that has an amount of
coverage by the network that is lower than a threshold amount of
coverage. Also optionally in this example, determining that the HAP
can be used to provide the additional access link further includes
determining that the HAP is also in signal range of another
terrestrial node in the network.
In a further example, controlling the one or more transceivers of
the terrestrial node to point towards the HAP includes pointing the
one or more transceivers above a horizon to a location of the HAP.
In yet another example, establishing the additional access link
includes implementing a 5G New Radio (NR) protocol associated with
a user plane layer at the HAP and the terrestrial node. In a still
further example, establishing the additional backhaul link includes
implementing a 5G New Radio (NR) protocol associated with a control
plane layer at the HAP and the terrestrial node. In another
example, determining that the HAP can be used to provide the
additional access link or the additional backhaul link in the
network in connection with the terrestrial node includes using
software-defined networking to determine an overall network
configuration for the network that includes the additional access
link or the additional backhaul link.
Other aspects of the disclosure provide for a system. The system
includes one or more transceivers of a terrestrial node configured
to establish one or more links with a remote node for an integrated
access and backhaul; and one or more processors. The one or more
processors are configured to receive a message to establish an
additional access link or an additional backhaul link with a high
altitude platform (HAP), the message including physical location
information of the HAP; control the one or more transceivers of the
terrestrial node to point towards the HAP according to the physical
location information; and establish the additional access link or
the additional backhaul link between the HAP and the terrestrial
node.
In one example, the physical location information of the HAP
includes coordinates of a location of the HAP. In another example,
controlling the one or more transceivers of the terrestrial node to
point towards the HAP includes pointing the one or more
transceivers above a horizon to a location of the HAP. In a further
example, establishing the additional access link includes
implementing a 5G New Radio (NR) protocol associated with a user
plane layer at the HAP and the terrestrial node. In yet another
example, establishing the additional backhaul link includes
implementing a 5G New Radio (NR) protocol associated with a control
plane layer at the HAP and the terrestrial node.
Further aspects of the disclosure provide for a non-transitory,
computer-readable medium. The medium includes instructions that,
when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more
processors to perform a method. The method includes obtaining
physical location information of a high-altitude platform (HAP) in
a network; determining that the HAP can be used to provide an
additional access link or an additional backhaul link in the
network in connection with a terrestrial node of the network; in
response to the determining that the HAP can be used to provide the
additional access link or the additional backhaul link, causing one
or more transceivers of the terrestrial node to point towards the
HAP according to the physical location information; and causing the
additional access link or the additional backhaul link to be
established between the HAP and the terrestrial node.
In one example, the physical location information of the HAP
includes coordinates of a location of the HAP. In another example,
determining that the HAP can be used to provide the additional
access link or the additional backhaul link includes determining
that the HAP is in signal range of the terrestrial node. Optionally
in this example, determining that the HAP can be used to provide
the additional access link further includes determining that the
HAP is also in range of a geographic location that has an amount of
coverage by the network that is lower than a threshold amount of
coverage. Also optionally in this example, determining that the HAP
can be used to provide the additional access link further includes
determining that the HAP is also in signal range of another
terrestrial node in the network. In a further example, determining
that the HAP can be used to provide the additional access link or
the additional backhaul link in the network in connection with the
terrestrial node includes using software-defined networking to
determine an overall network configuration for the network that
includes the additional access link or the additional backhaul
link.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a pictorial diagram of a portion of an example network in
accordance with aspects of the disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a functional diagram of the portion of the network shown
in FIG. 1 in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.
FIG. 3 is a functional diagram of a network controller in
accordance with aspects of the disclosure.
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method in accordance with aspects of
the disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of another method in accordance with
aspects of the disclosure.
FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example network topology in accordance
with aspects of the disclosure.
FIG. 7 is a diagram of another example network topology in
accordance with aspects of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Overview
The technology relates to implementing integrated access and
backhaul (IAB) for millimeter wave or other short-range
communications signals using high-altitude platforms (HAPs). As the
range for radio frequencies reach millimeter wave (mmWave) ranges
or greater, higher atmospheric attenuation and greater atmospheric
absorption occurs. These higher frequency wavelengths have a
shorter effective range that lower frequency wavelengths as a
result, and may require a greater density of network nodes to
provide coverage and backhaul to a geographic area. In addition,
blockages to these higher frequencies may occur more frequently due
to buildings, trees, and other obstacles. Typically, these higher
frequencies have more bandwidth available for use as compared to
lower frequency bands. These higher frequency bands are thus more
useful in transmitting larger amounts of data.
HAPs, such as balloons that are able to be positioned above
obstacles and in the line-of-sight of access nodes, may offer a
means for avoiding obstacles to more successfully provide access
links, backhaul links, or implement IAB services. In particular, a
given HAP may communicate with a given terrestrial network node to
provide access to users in a geographic area or backhaul to a
network. The given terrestrial network node may include one or more
antennas that are capable of pointing above the horizon. The given
terrestrial network node may use the one or more antennas to scan
the horizon when the given HAP is within a vicinity of the given
terrestrial network node. When a connection with the given HAP is
obtained, the given terrestrial network may establish an access
link and/or a backhaul link with the given HAP.
The features described herein provide for a network that is able to
adapt to coverage and backhaul needs in an efficient manner. The
incorporation of HAPs to provide additional access links and
backhaul links may increase the capacity and coverage of the
network that may otherwise be limited by the shorter range of
higher frequency communication signals. The network may as a result
provide more reliable service and better coverage to user
equipment.
Example Systems
FIG. 1 is a pictorial diagram of an example system 100 of network
nodes in a network. The network may include nodes mounted on
various land- and air-based devices, some of which may change
position with respect to other nodes in the network over time. For
example, as shown in FIG. 1, the network includes, as nodes, a
first terrestrial tower 110 and a second terrestrial tower 112. The
network also includes as a node a high-altitude platform 114. As
shown, HAP 114 is a balloon. In other embodiments, the HAP may be a
blimp, an airplane, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) such as a
drone, a satellite, or another platform capable of low Earth
orbit.
Nodes in the network may be equipped to transmit and receive mmWave
signals or other very high frequency signals. Additionally or
alternatively, nodes in the network may be equipped to transmit and
receive other radio-frequency signals, optical signals, or other
communication signal capable of travelling through free space.
Arrows shown projecting from nodes represent possible paths 120,
122a, 122b, 124, 126, 128, 130 for a transmitted communication
signal. As shown in FIG. 1, some possible paths may be blocked by
buildings, such as buildings 140, 142. For example, a signal
following path 120 from node 110 may be angled below the horizon
and be blocked by building 140. A signal following path 122a from
node 110 may be angled above path 120, avoiding building 140, but
then may contact building 142. The signal following path 122a may
reflect off building 142 and follow path 122b towards the ground
location of a user 150, carrying a client device 152. A signal
following path 124 from node 110 may be angled towards or above the
horizon, nearly parallel to the ground, passing over building 140,
but then may be blocked by building 142. A signal following path
126 from node 110 may be angled above the horizon and reach node
114. A signal following path 128 from node 114 directed to the
ground location of user 150. A signal following path 130 from node
114 may be angled below the horizon, pass over building 142, and
reach node 112.
Also shown in FIG. 1, a signal may be transmitted from the client
device 152 of the user 150 back towards one or more nodes of the
network. For example, a signal from the client device 152 may be
transmitted back along paths 122b and 122a towards node 110.
Another signal from the client device 152 may be transmitted back
along path 128 towards node 114. In addition, multiple users or
multiple client devices may form bi-directional access links with a
given node of the network at a given point in time, in addition to
the user 150 and the client device 152 shown in FIG. 1.
The network nodes as shown in FIG. 1 is illustrative only, and the
network may include additional or different nodes. For example, in
some implementations, the network may include additional HAPs
and/or additional terrestrial towers. When the network includes at
least one low Earth orbit or high Earth orbit satellite as well as
one other type of HAP, the network may be defined as a hybrid
HAP/satellite network.
In some implementations, the network may serve as an access network
for client devices such as cellular phones, laptop computers,
desktop computers, wearable devices, or tablet computers. For
example, nodes 110, 112, 114 may connect to the datacenters via
wireless, fiber, or cable backbone network links or transit
networks operated by third parties. The nodes 110, 112, 114 may
provide wireless access for the users, and may forward user
requests to the datacenters and return responses to the users via
the backbone network links.
In particular, the first terrestrial tower 110, the second
terrestrial tower 112, and the HAP 114 may include wireless
transceivers configured to operate in a cellular or other mobile
network, such as 5G NR (new radio) networks or LTE networks. The
nodes 110, 112, 114 may operate as gNodeB stations, eNodeB
stations, or other wireless access points, such as WiMAX or UMTS
access points. One or more terrestrial towers in the network may
include an optical fiber or other link connecting the one or more
terrestrial towers to another terrestrial tower or datacenter. For
example, the second terrestrial tower 112 may include fiber 113,
shown by a dotted arrow, that connects to another terrestrial tower
(not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, user 150 carrying a client device
152 may be configured to communicate with one or more of the nodes
in the network. The network also may be connected to a larger
network, such as the Internet, and may be configured to provide a
client device with access to resources stored on or provided
through the larger computer network.
As shown in FIG. 2, each node, such as first terrestrial tower 110,
second terrestrial tower 112, and HAP 114, may include one or more
transceivers configured to transmit and receive communication
signals and create one or more communication links with another
node in the network. Referring to HAP 114 as an example, each of
the nodes, may include one or more processors 210, memory 212, and
one or more transceivers 220. While only terrestrial towers 110,
112 and HAP 114 are shown, other terrestrial towers and HAPs in the
network may have the same or as similar configurations.
The one or more processors 210 may be any conventional processors,
such as commercially available CPUs. Alternatively, the one or more
processors may be a dedicated device such as an application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other hardware-based
processor, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The one
or more processors 210 may be configured to operate according to a
given protocol architecture for a mobile network, such as 5G NR
architecture or LTE radio protocol architecture. Although FIG. 2
functionally illustrates the one or more processors 210 and memory
212 as being within the same block, it will be understood that the
one or more processors 210 and memory 212 may actually comprise
multiple processors and memories that may or may not be stored
within the same physical housing. Accordingly, references to a
processor or computer will be understood to include references to a
collection of processors or computers or memories that may or may
not operate in parallel.
Memory 212 stores information accessible by the one or more
processors 210, including data 214, and instructions 216, that may
be executed by the one or more processors 210. The memory may be of
any type capable of storing information accessible by the
processor, including non-transitory and tangible computer-readable
mediums containing computer readable instructions such as a
hard-drive, memory card, ROM, RAM, DVD or other optical disks, as
well as other write-capable and read-only memories. The system and
method may include different combinations of the foregoing, whereby
different portions of the data 214 and instructions 216 are stored
on different types of media. In the memory of each node, such as
memory 212 of HAP 110a, a forwarding information base or forwarding
table may be stored that indicate how signals received at each node
should be forwarded, or transmitted. For example, the forwarding
table stored in memory 212 may indicate that a signal received from
ground station 107a should be forwarded to HAP 110d.
Data 214 may be retrieved, stored or modified by the one or more
processors 210 in accordance with the instructions 216. For
instance, although the system and method are not limited by any
particular data structure, the data 214 may be stored in computer
registers, in a relational database as a table having a plurality
of different fields and records, XML documents or flat files. The
data 214 may also be formatted in any computer-readable format such
as, but not limited to, binary values or Unicode. By further way of
example only, image data may be stored as bitmaps comprised of
grids of pixels that are stored in accordance with formats that are
compressed or uncompressed, lossless (e.g., BMP) or lossy (e.g.,
JPEG), and bitmap or vector-based (e.g., SVG), as well as computer
instructions for drawing graphics. The data 214 may comprise any
information sufficient to identify the relevant information, such
as numbers, descriptive text, proprietary codes, references to data
stored in other areas of the same memory or different memories
(including other network locations) or information that is used by
a function to calculate the relevant data.
The instructions 216 may be any set of instructions to be executed
directly (such as machine code) or indirectly (such as scripts) by
the one or more processors 210. For example, the instructions 216
may include the given protocol architecture for the mobile network
of which the node is a part. The given protocol architecture may
include a split architecture between a central unit and a
distributed unit. In addition, the given protocol architecture may
define a control plane, a user plane, or other protocol layers. The
given protocol architecture may also include an interface that
defines a plurality of messages for use in communication between
the protocol layers. The instructions 216 may be stored as computer
code on the computer-readable medium. In that regard, the terms
"instructions" and "programs" may be used interchangeably herein.
The instructions 216 may be stored in object code format for direct
processing by the one or more processors 210, or in any other
computer language including scripts or collections of independent
source code modules that are interpreted on demand or compiled in
advance. Functions, methods and routines of the instructions 216
are explained in more detail below.
The one or more transceivers 220 may include at least one wireless
transceiver mounted to actuators that can be controlled, or
steered, to point in a desired direction. To form a wireless link
between two nodes, such as the node associated with the HAP 114 and
the node associated with the first terrestrial tower 110, the
wireless transceivers of the respective nodes can be controlled to
point in the direction of one another so that data can be sent and
received between the nodes. For nodes with fiber or cable
connections, such as second terrestrial tower 112, the one or more
transceivers 220 may also include at least one transceiver
configured to communicate via a fiber or cable connection.
As further shown in FIG. 2, the client device 152 associated with
user 150 may be a personal computing device or a server with one or
more processors 250, memory 252, data 254, and instructions 256
similar to those described above with respect to the one or more
processors 210, memory 212, data 214, and instructions 216.
Personal computing devices may include a personal computer that has
all of the components normally used in connection with a personal
computer such as a central processing unit (CPU), memory (e.g., RAM
and internal hard drives) storing data and instructions, an
electronic display (e.g., a monitor having a screen, a small LCD
touch-screen, a projector, a television, or any other electrical
device that is operable to display information), user input (e.g.,
a mouse, keyboard, touch-screen or microphone), camera, speakers, a
network interface device, and all of the components used for
connecting these elements to one another. Personal computing
devices may also include mobile devices such as PDAs, cellular
phones, and the like. Indeed, client device 152 may be any device
capable of processing instructions and transmitting data to and
from humans and other computers including general purpose
computers, network computers lacking local storage capability, and
set-top boxes for televisions. In some embodiments, client devices
may be associated with one or more SDN applications and may have
one or more northbound interface (NBI) drivers.
In some implementations, the network can be an SDN that is
controlled by an SDN controller, such as network controller 300
depicted in FIG. 3. The network controller 300 may be located at
one of the network nodes or at a separate platform, such as, for
example, in a datacenter. The nodes of the network, including nodes
110, 112, 114 may be configured to communicate with one another
using the steerable transceivers, such as the one or more
transceivers 220. As the HAPs in the network, such as HAP 114, move
with respect to other nodes in the network, such as terrestrial
towers 110, 112, some network links may become infeasible due to
range of the transceivers or obstacles between the nodes. Thus, the
configuration of the network may require regular (i.e., periodic)
or irregular reconfiguration using the network controller 300 to
maintain connectivity and to satisfy determined network flows.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of network controller 300. The network
controller 300 may be configured to send control messages to the
nodes of the network to provide reconfiguration according to
updated topology, to pass routing information, and to schedule
reconfigurations to transmit client data. As shown in FIG. 3, the
network controller 300 may include one or more processors 310,
memory, 320, and communications system 340. The one or more
processors 310 may be similar to the one or more processors 210
described above. Memory 320 may store information accessible by the
one or more processors 310, including data 322 and instructions 324
that may be executed by processor 310. Memory 320, data 322, and
instructions 324 may be configured similarly to memory 212, data
214, and instructions 216 described above. The data 322 may include
a table representing all of the available nodes and possible links
in the network 100 at a given time or time frame. The instructions
324 may include one or more modules for managing topology and
routing, determining topology, determining network flows, solving
for network configurations, controlling flight of a given HAP, or
scheduling future network configurations.
The communications system 340 may be configured to communicate with
the nodes of network, such as nodes 110, 112, 114, as well as one
or more client devices, such as client device 152. In some
embodiments, the communication system 340 includes a Control to
Data-Plane Interface (CDPI) driver configured to communicate with a
CDPI agent at each of the nodes 107, 110. In addition, the
communications system 340 of the network controller 300 may include
one or more NBI agents configured to communicate with an NBI driver
at each client device associated with one or more SDN applications.
The communication system 340 may optionally or alternatively be
configured to transmit and receive a signal via radio frequencies,
optical frequencies, optical fiber, cable, or other communication
means to and from the nodes in the network and the one or more
client devices.
Example Methods
In addition to the operations described above and illustrated in
the figures, various operations will now be described. It should be
understood that the following operations do not have to be
performed in the precise order described below. Rather, various
operations can be handled in a different order or simultaneously,
and operations may also be added or omitted.
In FIG. 4, flow diagram 400 is shown in accordance with some of the
aspects described above that may be performed by one or more
processors of nodes of a network, such as that of nodes 110, 112,
114. While FIG. 4 shows blocks in a particular order, the order may
be varied and that multiple operations may be performed
simultaneously. Also, operations may be added or omitted.
At block 402, location information of a HAP of the network may be
obtained. Obtaining the location information may include using the
one or more processors of a HAP to transmit its location
information to a central server or datacenter in the network, to
the network controller of the network, or to the terrestrial node
via a path through the network. The transmission of location
information to the terrestrial node through the network may be via
a message from the central server or datacenter of from the network
controller. In some other cases, transmission of the location
information may be a broadcast from the HAP. In some cases, the
location information may be transmitted directly to the terrestrial
node from the HAP.
The location information may include coordinates or relative
position to other nodes in the network. The location information
may also include a projected trajectory of the HAP over time.
Transmission of the location information may be performed using
optical communication, radiofrequency communication, or other
communication means. In some implementations, the communication
means for transmitting the location information may have a greater
range than mmWave signals. In addition, transmission of the
location information may be continuous or at regular or irregular
intervals.
The one or more processors 210 of HAP 114 may transmit its
coordinates to a central server of the network. The central server
may transmit a message including the coordinates of the HAP 114 to
the terrestrial tower 110. The coordinates may be updated at
regular intervals, such as every second. At the same time or at a
later time, the central server may transmit a message including the
coordinates of the HAP 114 to the terrestrial tower 112.
When the location of the terrestrial node is known, such as when
the locations of terrestrial nodes are stored on a memory that is
accessible locally or remotely, the transmission of the location
information to the terrestrial node may be initiated when the
location of the HAP is within a particular distance from the
location of the terrestrial node or is projected to be within the
particular distance within a set amount of time. The set amount of
time may be, for example, 5 minutes, or more or less. In other
implementations, the locations of terrestrial nodes may be detected
by scanning using the network or the HAP, rather than being
pre-stored in a memory.
The particular distance may be a predicted effective range of
signals transmitted from the terrestrial node. The signals
transmitted from the terrestrial node may be mmWave signals,
another type of communication signal, or a combination of signal
bands. The predicted effective range of signals may be determined
based on a frequency of the signals, a condition of one or more
systems of the terrestrial node, and/or weather conditions.
Therefore, when the HAP is within the predicted effective range of
communications of a given terrestrial node, the one or more
processors of the central server, the network controller, or the
HAP may transmit the location information to the given terrestrial
node. In addition to the location information, an estimated amount
of time the HAP will be in range of the given terrestrial node, a
predicted future location of the HAP, an estimated amount of time
the HAP will be in a given location, an estimated amount of time
location information is valid, type information, band capability of
the HAP, band availability of the HAP, or other data related to the
HAP may be transmitted.
The one or more processors 210 of HAP 114 may detect that the HAP
114 is projected to be within the signal range of the first
terrestrial tower 110 in 5 minutes and transmit its coordinates
directly to the first terrestrial tower 110 using radiofrequency
signals. The coordinates may be updated at regular intervals, such
as every second. At the same time or at a later time, the one or
more processors 210 of HAP 114 may detect that HAP 114 is projected
to be within the signal range of the second terrestrial tower 112
and transmit its coordinates directly to the second terrestrial
tower 112 using radiofrequency signals.
At block 404, one or more processors may determine that the HAP can
be used to provide an additional access link and/or an additional
backhaul link in the network in connection with a terrestrial node
of the network based on the location information of the HAP.
Namely, the one or more processors of the terrestrial node that
receives the location information may determine that the HAP is or
will be in a range of the terrestrial node, such as in range of
signals of the terrestrial node. Additional data related to the
HAP, such as the estimated amount of time the HAP will be in range
of the given terrestrial node, the predicted future location of the
HAP, the estimated amount of time the HAP will be in a given
location, the estimated amount of time location information is
valid, type information, band capability of the HAP, or band
availability of the HAP, may be used to determine that the HAP can
be used to provide the additional access link and/or backhaul
link.
For example, the one or more processors may further determine that
the HAP can be used to provide the additional access link and/or
the additional backhaul link during a particular period of time
based on the estimated amount of time the HAP will be in range of
the give terrestrial node, the predicted further location of the
HAP, the estimated amount of time the HAP will be in the given
location, and/or the estimated amount of time location information
is valid. Based on the type information and/or the band capability
of the HAP, the one or more processors may further determine that
the HAP can be used to provide the additional access link and/or
the additional backhaul link using a set of link characteristics,
including, such as a type of communication or a frequency. In
multi-band capable HAP, the one or more processors may further
determine that a first frequency band of the HAP is being utilized
for a transfer of data or has heavy loading from other uses and
that a second frequency band of the HAP is unused or has available
bandwidth based on the band capability of the HAP and/or the band
availability of the HAP. The one or more processors may determine
that the second frequency band of the HAP can be used to provide
the additional access link and/or the additional backhaul link in
the network.
In addition, the HAP may be used to provide an additional access
link when the current location of the HAP or projected location
from the trajectory of the HAP provides coverage to a geographic
location that has an amount of coverage by the network that is
lower than a threshold amount of coverage. For example, a first
geographic location may have no mmWave coverage, no 3.5 GHz 5G
coverage, or no 2.6 GHz 5G coverage. The current location of the
HAP may allow the HAP to form a link with a terrestrial node in a
second geographic location having mmWave coverage, 3.5 GHz 5G
coverage, or 2.6 GHz 5G coverage and also allow the HAP to form a
link with a client device in the first geographic location.
Alternatively, the location of the HAP may allow the HAP to connect
the client device in the first geographic location to an overall
network that provides 5G coverage. The HAP may also be assigned by
the one or more processors of the terrestrial node to provide an
additional access link to the geographic location based on an
overall network configuration. In another example, the assignment
may be determined based on a received request for coverage in the
geographic location.
The HAP may be used to provide an additional backhaul link when the
current location of the HAP or projected location from the
trajectory of the HAP is in signal range of another node of the
network. The additional backhaul link may also be provided based on
an amount of congestion on a backhaul link of a given terrestrial
node. In some implementations, the one or more processors of the
given terrestrial node, such as a central unit, may determine a
routing for the additional backhaul link based on the location
information of the HAP and the amount of congestion on the existing
backhaul link. The location information may include an amount of
time that the HAP will be in a location making the additional
backhaul link available to the given terrestrial node. The
determined routing for the additional backhaul link may include an
amount of data to send via the additional backhaul link.
Additionally or alternatively, determining that the HAP may be used
to provide the additional access link and/or the additional
backhaul link in the network may include determining a set location
for the HAP to travel to in order to establish the additional
access link and/or the additional backhaul link.
As shown in FIG. 1, HAP 114 may be in a location that is in range
of signals of terrestrial tower 110 and terrestrial tower 112, as
shown by paths 126 and 130. The one or more processors of the
terrestrial tower 110 may receive the location of the HAP 114 and
determine that HAP 114 is in range of the signals of the
terrestrial tower 110. In addition, the one or more processors of
the terrestrial tower 110 may determine that HAP 114 can provide
additional coverage to a geographic area between buildings 140,
142. The one or more processors of terrestrial tower 110 may also
determine that HAP 114 can provide a link to terrestrial tower 112
in the received location. The path 124 directly from terrestrial
tower 110 to terrestrial tower 112 may be blocked by building 142.
At the same time, the path 126 between terrestrial tower 110 to HAP
114 at the received location may be available and the path 130
between HAP 114 and terrestrial tower 112 may be available.
At block 406, when the HAP 114 can be used for an additional access
link and/or an additional backhaul link, the one or more
transceivers of the terrestrial node may be controlled to transmit
signals toward the HAP 114 according to the location information.
In particular, the one or more processors of the terrestrial node
may control the one or more transceivers to transmit signals toward
to the HAP 114. Given the height at which HAPs are flown (or their
float height), the one or more processors may control the one or
more transceivers to transmit signals above the horizon toward the
HAP 114. The one or more transceivers may be controlled to scan an
area starting at the received location of the HAP 114. The scan may
be in a search pattern to acquire a link. For example, the one or
more processors of the terrestrial tower 110 may control the one or
more transceivers of the terrestrial tower 110 to transmit signals
toward the HAP 114. The one or more transceivers of the terrestrial
tower 110 may be controlled in a search pattern until a link with
the HAP 114 is acquired.
At block 408, the additional access link and/or the additional
backhaul link may be established between the terrestrial node and
the HAP. For example, the one or more processors of the terrestrial
tower 110 may establish the additional access link or the
additional backhaul link with HAP 114. Establishing the additional
access link may include sending instructions from the one or more
processors of the terrestrial node to the HAP to cause the one or
more processors of the HAP to implement a protocol associated with
the user plane layer. Establishing the additional backhaul link may
include sending instructions from the one or more processors of the
terrestrial node to the HAP to cause the one or more processors of
the HAP to implement a protocol associated with the control plane
layer. Establishing the additional backhaul link may also include
sending instructions to the HAP to cause the one or more processors
of the HAP to interact with another node of the network. For
example, interacting with another node of the network may include
pointing the one or more transceivers of the HAP towards another
node of the network, establishing one or more links with at least
one other node of the network, or routing data to another node of
the network according to a routing path. To establish a backhaul
link between terrestrial tower 110 and HAP 114, instructions may be
sent to HAP 114 to cause the one or more processors 210 to control
the one or more transceivers 220 to point towards terrestrial tower
112 and establish a link with terrestrial tower 112. In some
implementations, the one or more processors of the terrestrial node
may establish an integrated access and backhaul link.
To maintain the additional access link and/or backhaul link, the
one or more processors of the HAP may control a flight of the HAP
to be within range of the terrestrial tower, and the one or more
processors of the terrestrial tower may control the one or more
transceivers to track the flight of the HAP. Additionally or
alternatively, a second HAP may be flown or otherwise directed to
the location in range of the terrestrial tower after the HAP leaves
the location to reestablish the additional access link and/or
backhaul link. The process described in relation to flow diagram
400 may be repeated for the second HAP to establish the additional
access link and/or backhaul link using the second HAP. In another
example, the data for the HAP and the additional access link and/or
backhaul link may be transferred to the second HAP, and the
transferred data may be used to establish the additional access
link and/or backhaul link using the second HAP. The additional
access link and/or backhaul link using the original HAP may be
removed either before, after, or simultaneous with establishing the
additional access link and/or backhaul link with the second
HAP.
In some alternatives, the one or more processors of the HAP, one or
more processors of a central server, a network controller, or one
or more other remote processors may be used to perform one or more
of the steps in place of the one or more processors of the
terrestrial node. The method may be performed using distributed
self-organizing networking methods, centralized self-organizing
networking methods, or hybrid self-organizing networking
methods.
In one example, the one or more processors of the HAP 114 may
determine that the HAP 114 can be used to provide an additional
access link and/or an additional backhaul link in the network based
on the location information of the HAP 114 and the known locations
of terrestrial nodes of the network at block 404. The one or more
processors of the HAP 114 may then initiate establishing the
additional access link and/or the additional backhaul link by
controlling the one or more transceivers of the HAP 114 to transmit
signals toward the terrestrial node and/or sending a message to the
terrestrial node to cause the one or more processors of the
terrestrial node to control the one or more transceivers to
transmit signals toward the HAP 114 at block 406.
In another example, the location information of the HAP 114 may be
transmitted to the central server, the network controller, or
another remote processor at block 402, and the central server, the
network controller, or the other remote processor may perform
determining that the HAP 114 can be used to provide an additional
access link and/or an additional backhaul link in the network at
block 404. Instructions may then be sent from the network
controller or the remote processor to control the one or more
transceivers of the terrestrial node and/or the HAP 114 to transmit
signals toward the other at block 406, and to cause the
establishing of the additional access link and/or the additional
backhaul link at block 408.
Other combinations of which processors perform each of the steps in
FIG. 4 may be used in different implementations.
Alternatively, a network controller may implement software-defined
networking methods or self-organizing network technology to
establish access and/or backhaul links in the network including
terrestrial nodes and HAPs. In FIG. 5, flow diagram 500 is shown in
accordance with some of the aspects described above that may be
performed by the one or more processors 310 of the network
controller 300. While FIG. 5 shows blocks in a particular order,
the order may be varied and that multiple operations may be
performed simultaneously. Also, operations may be added or
omitted.
At block 502, the one or more processors 310 of the network
controller 300 receive status information from each of the nodes
within the network. Information may be related to the current or
predicted condition of the nodes, weather, or links at a current
time or a future time. The current or predicted condition of the
nodes may include a coverage area for a given node and bandwidth
provided to the coverage area by the given node. For example, as
shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the network may include as nodes additional
terrestrial towers 610, 620, 630, and 640, in addition to
terrestrial towers 110, 112 and HAP 114. Arrows shown between a
pair of nodes represent possible communication paths between the
nodes. In addition to paths 124, 126, and 130 corresponding to the
paths shown in FIG. 1, paths 650-657 are shown between the nodes.
The network as shown in FIG. 6 is illustrative only, and in some
implementations the network may include additional or different
nodes. The status information received from the nodes of the
network may include the location information of HAP 114 or weather
conditions at locations of terrestrial towers 110, 112, 610, 620,
630, and 640 at a current time or a future time. The location
information of HAP 114 may include a projected trajectory or set
location, such as a future location at the future time that is in
signal range of the terrestrial towers 110, 112.
At block 504, the one or more processors 310 determine available
nodes and possible links in the network at a current time or a
future time based on the received information. A current topology
of the network may include the available nodes and possible links
at the current time, and a future topology of the network may
include the available nodes and possible links at the future time.
As shown in FIG. 6, available nodes in the network at the current
time may be determined to include terrestrial towers 110, 112, 610,
620, 630, and 640. As shown by the arrows in the current topology
600, links 650-652 and 654-657 are included in the current
topology. HAP 114 may not be available in the current topology
because a current location of the HAP 114 is out of signal range of
the terrestrial towers 110, 112. Also not available in the current
topology are a first link along path 124 between terrestrial tower
110 and terrestrial tower 112, the second link along path 126
between terrestrial tower 110 and HAP 114, the third link along
path 130 between HAP 114 and terrestrial tower 112, and the link
653 between terrestrial towers 610 and 640 (shown as a dash-dot
line without arrows in FIG. 6). The first link may be unavailable
due to the building 142 blocking a signal between the terrestrial
towers 110 and 112; the second and third links may be unavailable
due to the current location of HAP 114; and the link 653 may be
unavailable due to a distance between terrestrial towers 610 and
640. Each possible link 650-652 and 654-657 in the current topology
may also be labeled with link metrics, such as bandwidth, that are
determined based on the received information. In the diagram of the
current topology 600, solid lines indicate that links 650, 651,
654, 657 are capable of higher bandwidths, such as 3 Mbps or more,
and dashed lines indicate that links 652, 655, 656 are capable of
lower bandwidths, such as less than 3 Mbps.
As shown in FIG. 7, available nodes in the network at the future
time may include terrestrial towers 110, 112, 620, 630, and 640, as
well as the HAP 114 at the future location, which is in signal
range of the terrestrial towers 110, 112. With the HAP 114 being
available, possible links may be determined for the future time to
include the second link along path 126 between terrestrial tower
110 and HAP 114 and the third link along path 130 between HAP 114
and terrestrial tower 112. Not available in the future topology 700
may be terrestrial tower 610, which may be due to weather
conditions at the location of the terrestrial tower 610 including a
thunderstorm at the future time. With terrestrial tower 610 being
unavailable, links 650-653 between terrestrial tower 610 and other
terrestrial towers 110, 620, 630, 640, respectively, may be
unavailable at the future time (shown as a dash-dot line without
arrows in FIG. 7).
At block 506, the one or more processors 310 receive information
related to data to be transmitted through network and/or bandwidth
for servicing user equipment in given geographic areas. The data
information and the bandwidth information may be received from
nodes or client devices in direct communication with the network
controller 300 or may be received through existing links in the
network. In some implementations, the data information and the
bandwidth information may be predicted by the one or more
processors 310 of the network controller 300 or by a remote system
based on past data transmitted or past bandwidth usage. The data
information may include an amount of data, a source location, and a
destination location, or a requested time of transmission. In some
cases, the data information also includes transmission
requirements, such as bandwidth, class of service, quality of
service, etc.
At block 508, the one or more processors 310 determine an overall
network configuration that includes an access link and/or a
backhaul link to be formed between available nodes of the network.
For example, the access link and/or the backhaul link to be formed
may be between at least one terrestrial node of the network and at
least one HAP of the network when the at least one HAP is in signal
range of the at least one terrestrial node. Determining the overall
network configuration may include determining one or more flows for
a current or future time using the current or future topology and
the data information and selecting one or more links from the
possible links between available nodes to form in a network
configuration based on the one or more flows. The one or more flows
may include estimated bandwidth needed between nodes of the network
to satisfy needs of the data information. The access link may be
included in the selected one or more links when the one or more
processors 310 determine that a HAP can provide coverage to a
geographic location that has an amount of coverage by the network
that is lower than a threshold amount of coverage. The backhaul
link may be included in the selected one or more links when the one
or more processors 310 determine that a HAP can provide a link
between two terrestrial nodes of the network. For example, the
future location of the HAP 114 may be determined to provide
coverage to a geographic location between buildings 140, 142 and a
link between terrestrial towers 110, 112. As a result, the one or
more processors 310 may determine an overall network configuration
for the future time that includes an access link and a backhaul
link to be formed between terrestrial towers 110, 112 and HAP 114.
The access link and the backhaul link may be an integrated access
and backhaul link.
At block 510, the one or more processors 310 send instructions to
the nodes the network for implementing the overall network
configuration and operating the access link and/or the backhaul
link. The implementation instructions may be sent to the nodes at a
current time or at a point in time before an implementation time.
For the access link and/or the backhaul link between nodes 110,
112, 114, the implementation instructions may include instructions
to establish a first link between the terrestrial tower 110 and the
HAP 114 by controlling the one or more transceivers of the
terrestrial tower 110 and the HAP 114 to transmit signals toward
one another and to establish a second link between the HAP 114 and
the terrestrial tower 112 by controlling the one or more
transceivers of the HAP 114 and the terrestrial tower 112 to
transmit signals toward one another. Controlling the one or more
transceivers to transmit signals in a particular direction may
include electronic beamforming and/or mechanically steering
directional antennas. In some examples, the implementation
instructions may include instructions regarding one or more
protocols for the access link and/or backhaul link, such as a user
plane layer protocol and a control layer protocol, respectively.
The one or more protocols may be specific to millimeter wave
communications or other high frequency communications, such as 5G
NR protocols.
The features described herein provide for a network that is able to
adapt to coverage and backhaul needs in an efficient manner. The
incorporation of HAPs to provide additional access links and
backhaul links may increase the capacity of the network that may
otherwise be limited by the shorter range of higher frequency
communication signals. The network may as a result provide more
reliable service and better coverage to user equipment.
Unless otherwise stated, the foregoing alternative examples are not
mutually exclusive, but may be implemented in various combinations
to achieve unique advantages. As these and other variations and
combinations of the features discussed above can be utilized
without departing from the subject matter defined by the claims,
the foregoing description of the embodiments should be taken by way
of illustration rather than by way of limitation of the subject
matter defined by the claims. In addition, the provision of the
examples described herein, as well as clauses phrased as "such as,"
"including" and the like, should not be interpreted as limiting the
subject matter of the claims to the specific examples; rather, the
examples are intended to illustrate only one of many possible
embodiments. Further, the same reference numbers in different
drawings can identify the same or similar elements.
* * * * *